This is a topic that in our opinion should be discussed more, and not exclusively between our barber shop’s walls. The amount of weird sideburns on the streets is just too much: our barber now helps you to avoid some serious sideburn mistakes.
The sideburn is the part of your beard that’s probably related more to the hair on your head rather than the hair on your chin. A perfect sideburn will frame your face and balance some of your facial ratios almost unnoticeably. The difference between a good sideburn and a sloppy, strange or unstylish one really is only a few hairs.
A sideburn is not an archaic or bohemian accessory that only Elvis Presley or Franz Joseph impersonators can get away with, and most importantly: a sideburn is not an earlock (because that is actual hair rather than beard), so don’t confuse the two.
Do you really need one? For a short time in the 80s people didn’t think so, but this was probably some sort of style hangover from the wild sideburn trends of the previous decades. Not having sideburns was a mistake quickly corrected by the world. We would like to answer the question with a big fat ‘YES, YOU DO’. Of course, some things need your attention but it all worth it, sideburns really are a must have. Let’s see the rules of a good sideburn.
The role of the sideburns is to connect your hairstyle to your face and to work those ratios you probably like less. Here in the barber shop we use to say the bottom part of your sideburns should not exceed the line of that ear cartilage closest to your face (i.e. the tragus), and you cannot really go wrong with that. Feeling bold? Try a different length depending on your face shape. A more oblong face is complemented by a shorter sideburn, a more round one looks better with a longer one that still does not exceed the line of the bottom of your earlobe.
The barber’s wisdom here: a good sideburn goes unnoticed, the lack of it doesn’t.
By default the shape of a sideburn is a rectangle of which the top part is blending into the hair. Any sideburn that differs from that has a serious chance of looking funny – unless you really know what you’re doing! You can try clipping the bottom part in an angle to make it parallel with your jawline. Unclear? Ask your barber next time in the shop, just to make sure.
When you come to the barber shop you likely get a decent sideburn to go with your fresh, new haircut. The reason is that the sideburn hair length is defined by your haircut so try trimming it the same length as the hair around your ear, but never longer than 6-7 mm. Sideburns are looking neat when no individual hairs are sticking out of it and the bottom is a straight line. Your tools for grooming it are a pair of scissors, a comb and a clipper.
We hope some thing are more clear now for you about sideburns. If not, ask a barber at your next visit to us. Speaking of which, when’s your next time in the barber shop? Don’t know yet? Book your appointment now!